CHAPTER 4

HAKIM NURUDDIN THE DEMI GOD

(1908-1914)

On 29 May 1908 Mirza Ghulam Ahmad died of Chronic Dysentery/Cholera 1
at Lahore, allegedly in a despicable state in a lavatory. After his death
his chief accompalice, Hakim Nuruddin Bhairvi, ascended to the Gaddi of
Qadian as successor of the 'Promised Messiah’.

The Hakim(1841-1914) was a physician by profession. He studied medicine
and theology in India and spent some time (1865-66) in Mecca. He belonged
to a barber’s family of Bhera, a tehsil of district Sargodha, West Punjab.
In 1876, he managed to secure the job of a Court Physician in the darbar
of Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Kashmir. Lala Mathra Das, a Hindu police officer
of the State, and Dewan Kirpa Ram, the famous Kashmir historian, helped
him get the job.2 In 1877 he attended
the Darbar at Dehli where Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of
Delhi.

Hakim was a very shrewd and clever person. He maintained close relations
with the British officers who visited Kashmir at different occasions and
developed friendship with some of them. The British Government employed
him as an informer and relied on his information on the activities of Kashmir
darbar.

At the close of the 19th century the British were alarmed at the Russian
activities in Central Asia. The Hakim kept a close watch on the bear hugs
of Ranbir Singh who aspired to get rid of British domination in collaboration
with the Czarist Russia.

To seek Russian help, the Maharaja sent a four-man mission to Russia.
Two of his emissaries, including the leader, were murdered on the way,
probably by the powerful spy ring of the British agents active in Central
Asia and the letter they carried from the Maharaja to Russian authorities
in Tashkent vanished with them. The survivors, Abdul Rahman Khan and Sarfraz
Khan reached Tashkent in November 1865. They were received by General Chernayev
to whom they conveyed a declaration of friendship and inquired what might
by expected of the Russians. The mission did not achieve any success because
the Czarist Government was not interested in promoting the cause of national
liberation in India.3 A second mission from
Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Kashmir, headed by Baba Karam Prakash, reached
Tashkent in 1870 to seek military help from Russia. It also failed to achieve
any success.4 After the death of Ranbir Singh,
Patrap Singh (1885-1925) ascended the throne of Kashmir. He was the eldest
son of Ranbir Singh. Ram Singh was younger than him and Amar Singh was
the youngest of the three. According to the Treaty of Amaristsar,
Partap Singh wanted to keep his absolute position over all affairs of the
State. The British Government was, however, determined to exert its paramountcy
by appointing a Resident in Kashmir who was supposed to check the Russian
expansionism and see improvements in internal conditions of the State.
The Maharaja had to accept the position. Sir Oliver St. John was the first
Resident, followed by Plowden and Col. Parry Nisbet. Soon after his appointment
Nisbet claimed to possess certain letter which Partab Singh allegedly wrote
to Czarist Russia. London and Calcultta reacted sharply over it and decided
to annex the State. Amar Singh who in collaboration with Co. Nisbet, worked
behind the scene to acquire power, forced Partap Singh to sign a letter
of abdication.5

Hakim Nuruddin worked as an agent of the British Resident and a confidant
of Amar Singh. He was actively involed in the court intrigues.6
The British would have safely annexed the State had a curious development
not taken place at that time. The course of events took a different turn
when the newspaper Amarit Bazar Patrika, Calcutta which represented
nationalist ideas, first published an autographed copy of the letter from
Partap Singh to the Viceroy denying all allegations against him. In the
second instance, the paper published a top-secret note of the British Foreign
Secretary to the Government of India regarding the annexation of borderline
states. The British Government planned to annex Gilgit at the initial stage.
Sufi Amba Parsad, an Indian nationalist, who posed himself employed with
the British representative, stole the secret documents and handed them
over to the paper for publication. Two members of the British Parliament,
William Digby and Bradlaugh wrote several articles in defense of the Maharaja.7
At last the British Government was forced to abandon its decision of annexation
of the State.

Nurddin exerted considerable influence over Amar Singh. He convinced
him that collaboration with the British was a pre-requisite to attain power.
Nuruddin also hatched another plot which was meant to establish British
control in Kishtwar but the plan was subsequently dropped by the British
Political Department. Muharrum Ali Chisti, who edited a paper, Rafiq-e-Hind,
Lahore, after his expulsion from Kashmir, was also involved in the plot.8

The British established a Council to rule over Kashmir in 1889. The
Council comprised Ram Singh, Amar Singh, a British Officer, Pandit Suraj
Kaul and Pandit Bhag Ram. The entire administration was in the hands of
Amar Singh who presided over the Council until 1891 when Partap Singh himself
became the president. Suraj Kaul hated the Hakim for his clandestine activities
and collaboration with the British Resident. However as soon as Partap
Singh became President of the Council and Amar Singh its Vice Preseident,
he issued order of immediate expulsion of the Hakim from the State. He
had to leave the State within 24 hours. Hence this notorious court intriguer
cum British agent hurriedly packed off to his native town Bhera. Afterwards
he settled down in Qadian. Raja Amar Singh continued to make contacts with
him and secretly wrote him letters even after that incident and held him
in esteem.9

Sheikh Yaqub Ali Qadiani says that opponents of Hakim Nurrudin accused
him of hatching a political conspiracy to install Maharaja Amar Singh on
the throne in place of Partap Singh. That was the reason of his expulsion
from the State.10 Mirza Mahmud maintains that
the Hakim wanted to convert Amar Singh to Islam. Partap Singh came to know
of it.11 At the time of expulsion, the Hakim
was under a heavy debt of two laks of rupees. Raja Amar Singh sanctioned
a big business contract to a Hindu businessman and managed to pay his debt
out of its profit.12

The Hakim became the first successor of Mirza Qadiani in 1908 and was
called the counterpart of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, the first Caliph of
Islam. Hardly a year passed, a tug of war started between him and the members
of Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya, the central body responsible to administer the
community affairs, which ultimately resulted in split. He very cunning
managed the whole affairs. Influential Qadianis condemned and despised
him in private meetings and called him an autocratic head of the community.
He won the confidence of the Mirza family and a few members of Sadre Anjuman
Ahmadiyya. He led a miserable life and passed his last days in great distress
and mental agony.

The Great Game:

The Hakim, like Mirza, fully supported British Imperialism and International
Zionism. During the period of his papacy many political events took place
in India and abroad. The annulment of the Partition of Bengal (1911) and
the affairs of the Balkans brought dissatisfaction amongst the Muslims
of India. In the year 1908, the International Zionist conspiracy against
the Turkish Empire reached its apex. The German, French, Russian and British
Imperialists had already been planning to enter the prospective power vacuum
which they expected to be created after the much awaited dissolution of
the Ottoman Empire. If Turkey were to collapse, Britain would have to protect
her own military and economic lines of communication with India, where
half the British Army was stationed. The Suez Canal had to be defended.
The only way of ensuring this was for Britain to control Syria and Arabia.13
To get best of the situation, the Imperialists and Zionists intensified
their activities in parts of Europe and Asia. Phillip Knightly and Colin
Simpson throw light on the Imperialist Game:
"Generations of young English men working from Delhi, Lahore, Kabul,
Tehran, Tabriz and Samarkand played The Great Game for King country, and
the safety of India. Kipling wrote of it in Kim, but the truth was
equally fascinating. Eric Newby described how, in the abandoned offices
of the British Consulate in Meshed, in the province of Khorasan in north
east Persia, in 1956, he found a map of Central Asia heavily marked
in coloured pencil and on some sand dunes in Kara Kum desert, well inside
Russian territory, the mystic inscription ‘Captain X, July 1948".14
It was precisely the same time when the Zionist conspiracy against the
Turkish Empire was at its climax. D.G. Hogarth, the notorious political
intelligence officer, motivated Lawrence of Arabia to spy for the Empire
by making a tour of Arabia. Lawrence, an illegitimate son of an Anglo-Irish
baronet, with the help of other agents, went on a secret trip to Sinai
desert to draw some important maps. It was obvious that whoever controlled
Sinai could definitely control the Suez Canal. But the Turks were not allowing
the British agents to spy, so Lawrence and his friend Leonard Woolley sought
the Jewish help. They pretended to be interested in exploring the Sinai
as scholars for the Palestine Exploration Fund. S.F. NewCombe of the British
Engineering Corpse did military work. They undertook spy missions on the
directions of the British Agency in Cairo.15

Espionage Mission:

In September 1912, the Hakim sent an espionage mission to Arabia. It comprised
Mirza Mahmud Ahmad, Mir Nasir Nawab, Mahmud's maternal grandfather and
an Arab. The Hakim had been cleverly preparing Mirza Mahmud to take his
place in future. This coterie had already founded a society 'Ansarullah’
in order to use it against Sadre Anjuman Ahmadiyya and to grab power in
the days to come. Abdul Mohy, Arab of Iraq, a British agent settled in
Qadian, was the third member of the mission.

Before his departure for Hejaz, Jerusalem and Egypt, Mirza Mahmud maintained
that he would be undertaking the journey with a view of opening new horizons
of propagation of Ahmadiyat,16 besides there
are certain other reasons which may not be proper to mention ,17
he emphasized.

On 26 October 1912 Mirza Mahmud and Abdul Mohy Arab reached Port Saeed
and held discussions with the British secret agents. After a short stay
they moved from Egypt to Mecca. Mir Nasir joined them at Jeddah. They started
their religo-political activities by propagating main Ahmadiyya beliefs
like abrogation of Jehad, Messiahship and prophethood of the Mirza and
loyalty to the British. When the Arabs came to know that the son of a Qadiani
impostor had been inviting them to the false prophethood in the Holy City
of Mecca, they strongly protested to the Administration and demanded their
immediate expulsion from the city. Tarikh-e-Ahmaddiyat says the people
pointed towards Mirza Mahmud and called him the son of Qadiani, whenever
he passed by. Mir Ibrahim Sialkoti, the famous Ahle-Hadith scholar was
in Mecca on pilgrimage in the same year. He and one Mr Khalid of Bhopal
exposed the Qadiani mission which stayed in Mecca for 20 days.

The mission made close contacts with the native agents and held
frequent meetings with them. Mirza Mahmud also called on the Sharif of
Mecca,18 who was preparing to rise against
the Turks and proved to be the loyal British Agent at the time of the First
World War. The Turk Intelligence got alarmed at the underground political
activities of the Qadiani mission. The police made all efforts to apprehend
them but they were fortunate to escape arrest. Mirza Mahmud gives an account
of his activities in Hejaz:

"I (Mirza Mahmud ) started Tabligh (preaching) there (Mecca) and God
mercifully protected me. In the year 1912, the influence of the Turkish
Government was insignificant in Hejaz. Since the King of Hejaz is under
the British influence these days (1921) and it is not possible to maltreat
Indians, but in those days (1912) they could arrest any one whom they suspected.
Despite all, I openly preached (Qadiani beliefs) there. When we had left
the house where we were putting up, to leave for (India) that house was
raided the next day. The owner of the house was arrested on the charge
that a suspect resided there."19

Lawrence of Qadian:

The same year (September 1912) the Hakim sent Khawaja Kamaluddin, an important
member of Sadar Anjuman Ahmadiyya, to England. He set up a mission
at Woking and planned his political activities on the directions of the
British Foreign Office and the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

The three-man spy mission returned from Hejaz and submitted a report
to the Hakim. In the light of the Report on Arab countries, the Hakim sent
Zianul Abdin Waliullah Shah and Sheikh Abdul Rahman to Egypt on 26 July
1913 under the cover of Ahmadiyya missionaries with the object of
working with the British Intelligence. Ch. Fateh Muhammad Sayal and
Shaeikh Noor Ahmad to Britain to assist Khawaja Kamaluddin in his work.20
In those days, the British Agency Cairo had been recruiting a number of
agents and posting them in Syria, Arabia and Iraq. Christian missionaries
also spread their tentacles in Arab lands. Christian evangelists, particularly
Dr Zwemmer, a militant Christian missionary, went to Arabia in 1913 with
the agent of the Bible Society from Cairo 21
to explore the possibility of setting up a mission there.

As stated earlier Lawrence of Arabia, the notorious British Spy, was
actively involved in obtaining Military Intelligence in Sinai Desert with
the Zionist aid. He recommended to the British to extend support to the
Sharif of Mecca who planned to rise in revolt against the Turk.22
The British realized that the end of Turk rule in the Holy places would
prove fatal to their ascendancy in Arabia. The Muslims would presumably
shift their allegiance to the new ruler who would assume power and be the
guardian of the Holy places.

Zainul Abdin and Abdul Rahman reached Egypt in 1913. They were briefed
in the office of General Kitchner, the British Resident in Egypt. For a
few months, they worked for the British Intelligence, Cairo, which was
actively engaged in supporting Arab nationalists to revolt against Turkey.
Abdul Rahman (Masri) stayed in Cairo and Waliullah left for Beirut, where
he, besides acquiring knowledge of Arabic, ‘developed contacts with young
Arab students'.23 The pro-Turk movement started
in India had already created a feeling of friendship for Indian Muslims
in the hearts of Turks. Waliullah exploited it for his nefarious purpose
and secured the post of lectureship in the Salahuddin Ayubi College, Jerusalem.
He was then transferred to Damascus as Vice Principal, Sultania College.
He actively worked for the British interests in Beirut, Syria and Jerusalem
in all those crucial days when Arab revolt was in the offing.

Muhammad Munir-ul-Qadri, a well-known Syrian scholar has given an explicit
account of the Ahmadiyya conspiracies on the eve of the First World War
in his famous book entitled Al-Qadianiyah:

‘It can be said with utmost responsibility that conniving at Qadiani
activities will prove highly dangerous for the Muslims, especially overlooking
their spying activities. It was at the time of First World War, that the
British Imperialists sent a Qadiani (agent) to the Ottoman Empire whose
name was Waliullah Zainul Abdin. He pretended to be Muslim and well wisher
of the Turkish Empire. The Turks fell victim to his deception. They sent
him to Jamal Pasha, the Commander of the 5th Army Division, who gave him
an appointment in the Quds University. Afterwards when the English Army
entered into Syria (under General Allenby) during the War the said Waliullah
Zainul Abdin at once joined them.’24

Massalih-ul-Arab:

In order to make British War policy a success, two new papers were launched
on the directive of Nuruddin. Khawaja Kamaluddin started the Muslim
India and Islamic Review from Britain for distribution in America,
Africa and Europe.25 Abdul Mohy Arab brought
out a weekly supplement in Arabic to the existing Badar, Qadian.
The paper was sent to highly placed officials of Egypt, Hejaz , Iraq, the
Arab lands, Iran etc. It was named Masslih-ul-Arab (Arab Affairs)
after a revelation of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. It projected Imperialist point
of view and discreetly served the Zionist cause. The Arab Bureau, Cairo
also published an Arab Bulletin with the similar object in view. It was
edited by Cornwallis, an Egyptian civil servant. European diplomatic missions,
clandestine Jewish organization and freemason circles distributed massive
literature against Turkey in the Middle East and some parts of Europe.

The Balkan War proved disastrous for Turkey. Khawaja Kamaluddin, the
London missionary, addressed an An Epistle to the Turks.26
Referring to the Mirza’s prophecy regarding the downfall and dismemberment
of the Turkish Empire, he emphasized that Hazrat Ahmad’s prophecy had been
fulfilled which he had foretold nine years ago.27
The other part of the prophecy, says Mirza Mahmud, related to their temporary
success caused by the quarrel that suddenly erupted between the victors
and the other states. The defeated Turkish army advanced and within a few
days captured Adrianople with all the territory adjoining it from which
they had apparently been expelled for ever. Thus was this wonderful prophecy
brought to fulfilment.28

Caliphate Issue

The Muslims of the subcontinent zealously supported the Turks in the Balkan
Wars (1911-13). Several Turks visited India on various missions during
these days. Kamal Omar Bey and Adnan Bey came to India on behalf of Turkish
Red Crescent Society and met leading Muslims to gain their support. Samey
Bey also came on that mission but was identified by the Indian Intelligence
as an emissary of young Turks. His brother Ashraf Bey went to Egypt for
obtaining support for Turks and was arrested. Afghanistan was the center
of political activities of Indian revolutionaries. A leading paper of Kabul,
Sirajul Akhbar expressed deep sympathy for Turkey and asserted that
India was Dar-ul-Harb.29 The issue of Turkish
Caliphate had little significance for Qadianis. They had the British King
as their temporal head and Khalifa Nuruddin as the religious head. According
to the Qadiani belief, Sultan of Turkey was a heretic (Kafir) whose Caliphate
was a farce. The Promised Messiah had already prophecized that his Empire
would doom to crumble.

During the Balkan War, some ulema made appeals to the Muslims of India
to forego sacrifices of animals on the occasion of Eid ul Azha and subscribe
the money to the Turkish fund. Hakim Nuruddin criticized the proposal and
issued a ‘Fatwa’ against it in December 1912.30
The fatwa was not liked even by some Ahmadis.

AlFazl launched

The malicious propaganda campaign against the Turkish Caliphate was intensified
in 1913 when the Muslim press specially the Al Hilal, Calcutta and
Zamindar, Lahore, wrote convincing articles in favour of Turkey.
To project Imperialists point of view, Mirza Mahumd on his return from
the Middle East, launched a paper AlFazl, Qadian, which became the
official organ of the community in subsequent years.

Mirza Mahmid says:

"The year 1913 was marked by two important events. On return from
the Haj, I was much impressed by the need for strengthening the press at
Qadian. This need was suggested to me by Molvi Abdul Kalam Azad's Al
Hilal which was largely subscribed to by Ahmadis so that there
was reason to apprehend that some Ahmadis might be influenced by the poisonous
writings of that paper. Accordingly I bestirred myself for the purpose
and secured the permission of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih for the publication
of a new paper from Qadian, which, in addition to religious matters, should
contain matters of general interest, and thus enable Ahmadis to satisfy
their needs for religious as well as general reading from the organ of
the Movement.31

Cawnpore Mosque Agitation:

The Cawnpore mosque affair (August 1913) is a milestone in the history
of our independence movement. The immediate cause of the protest was Muslim
resentment over the demolition of a bath attached to the mosque. The Muslims
of India became highly excited over the demolition of a bath attached to
a mosque in Cawnpore. The men who lost their lives in the riot in connection
with this affair were acclaimed as shahids (religious martyrs). Virulent
articles were published in the public organs against the action of the
Government.

Qadian Jama'at justified Government action and extended full support
to it.32AlFazl wrote articles
to pacify religious sentiments of Indian Muslims. Hakim Nuruddin also supported
the Government action and condemned and cursed the agitators of disturbing
the peace. He explained that the baths did not form part of a mosque and
that those who were engaged in agitation over the affair were wrong and
were in fact acting hypocritically. 33

Molvi Mahmmad Ali, who afterwards became the head of Lahore Jamaat,
wrote three articles in the Paigham-e-Sulh Lahore in favour of Muslim
demands over Cawnpore agitation. The Hakim strongly disapproved of them.
A reply to the articles appeared in AlFazl, Qadian. It was one of
the cause of split in the Qadian Community.34

The Lahore Ahmadiyya community made efforts to come closer to the Muslim
political aspirations. Its organ, Paigham-i-Sulh carried articles
in favour of Turkish Caliphate and softened its policy over religious
issues with the view to bringing Ahmadiyya back into the mainstream of
Islam. Perhaps, it was Paigham as the first newspaper to come to
support Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, when he was served with externment orders
on 17 October 1914. It called the Punjab press to support Maulana Zafar
Ali. Again, at the end of May 1915, the paper supported Ali Brothers. Support
was also extended to the Muslim cause during the Khilafat days, while Qadian
group continued to stress their unflinching loyalty to the Government
and non involvement in the political affairs.35

In March 1914, the Hakim died, leaving a divided Ahmadiyya community
to choose a new head for them. He in fact desired Mirza Mahmud, his blue-eyed
boy, to succeed him. The liberal group and elders of Sadre Anjuman Ahmadiyya
already knew about it. Due to their stiff resistance he could neither expel
the mischief mongers, from Qadain nor dared to install Mirza Mahmud on
Qadian throne during his lifetime.